St. Thomas School, Leipzig (; ) is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

and

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It was founded by the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

in 1212 and is one of the oldest schools in the world. St. Thomas is known for its

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

held the position of

Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of Cantor ( ...

from 1723 until his death in 1750. His responsibilities included providing young musicians for church services in Leipzig. The Humanistic Gymnasium has a very long list of distinguished former students, including

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

(1813–1883) and many members of the

Bach family The Bach family is a family of notable composers of the baroque and classical periods of music, the best-known of whom was Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). A family genealogy was drawn up by Johann Sebastian Bach himself in 1735 when he was ...

, including

's son

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German composer and musician of the Baroque and Classical period. He was the fifth ch ...

(1714–1788). From the 800-Year Anniversary Celebration in 2012 the

Thomanerchor The Thomanerchor (English: St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. The choir comprises about 90 boys from 9 to 18 years of age. The members, called ''Thomaner'', reside in a boarding scho ...

and St. Thomas School has been part of

Forum Thomanum The Forum Thomanum (styled forum thomanum) is a music educational campus developed from 2002 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, as the new home of the Thomanerchor which was founded in 1212. It was conceived in 2002 by Georg Christoph Biller, then Thoma ...

, an internationally oriented educational campus.

History

St. Thomas School was founded in 1212 by

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

Dietrich von Meißen (1162–1221) making it among the oldest schools in Europe. It was run as ''schola pauperum'', meaning a free school intended to benefit the poor, by the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. The St. Thomas Church was founded with the school. The St. Thomas School is first mentioned in documents dating to 1254. In 1539 the city of Leipzig took over ownership of the school. All members (''Thomaner'') of the boys choir ''(Thomanerchor)'' attend the school along with other pupils. The Thomaner live in the school's own boarding school, ''Thomasalumnat''. The school's first building was in the present courtyard of the St. Thomas Church. In 1553 an outbuilding was built there. During Johann Sebastian Bach's time as Thomaskantor these buildings were extended; in 1829 they were reconstructed. In 1877 a new building was erected in the Schreberstraße to meet a shortage of space. In 1881 a new building for the boarding school was finished. The school was used as a barracks by a

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

unit during the

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an abortive coup d'état against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to ...

. The staff had little sympathy for

Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the first President of Germany (1919–1945), president of Germany from 1919 until ...

's government. During the

Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

the school continued its normal curricula. The school endured the bombings of the night of 3 December 1943 with only the gym and the buildings across from the boarding school being destroyed. The then-rector, Günther Ramin, decided to move the choir boys to the ''Königlich Sächsische Fürsten- und Landesschule Sankt Augustin'' school in

Grimma Grimma (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Central Germany, on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district. Location The town is in northern Saxony, southeast of Leipzig and south of Wurz ...

. Because of this, and because most of the older students were enlisted, the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

was allowed to use the school's building for its own purposes. The rector's decision to move the choir boys was proved right during the bombings of 20 February 1944 when the school's buildings were destroyed. After that, the remaining pupils attended ''41.

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...

'' on the ''Hillerstraße''. At some stage, the choir boys rejoined these pupils at ''Hillerstraße''. In 1973 the school moved into a new building in the ''Pestalozzistraße'' (now ''Telemannstraße''), but the boarding school remained in the ''Hillerstraße''. The new

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

regime in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

tried to make an exemplar

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

school out of St. Thomas school, but the church's influence was immense. After the

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

in 1990 the pupil's numbers increased. Since 2008 the school offers its students mathematics, natural sciences, music, and linguistic courses. In September 2000 the school moved into the restored original building on the ''Hillerstraße''. In 2008, there were 485 pupils and 67 teachers. Prior to 1973, all the

s were also teachers at the school and the president of the choir was also the school's rector. Since 1973 those roles have been separated.

Foreign languages

Cultivating

classical languages According to the definition by George L. Hart, a classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large body of ancient written literature. Classical languages are usually extinct languages. Those that are still ...

is an old tradition at St. Thomas School. All students study

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

as their first or second

foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a specific country. Native speakers from that country usually need to acquire it through conscious learning, such as through language lessons at schoo ...

, including the Qualification in Latin (''Latinum''). Combined with the

modern language A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead clas ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

the pupils learn fundamental foreign language skills. Although there are offered advanced courses (''Leistungskurse'') in those subjects. Interested students are welcome to take the First Certificate in English (FCE). The tradition of the school and its roots in European culture are the motive for providing

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

classes from 8th grade as well as a Qualification in Greek (''Graecum''). Also St. Thomas offers

Romance languages The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

, like

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Student exchange program A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or higher education study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, b ...

s and stays in Europe and in Anglo-America are possible.

Notable alumni

Carl Friedrich Abel Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723 – 20 June 1787) was a German composer of the pre-Classical period (music), Classical era. He was a renowned player of the viol, viola da gamba, and produced significant compositions for that instrument ...

– German composer and fine player on the viola da gamba, pupil of

* Franz Abt – German composer *

Nicolaus von Amsdorf Nicolaus von Amsdorf (Latin: Nicolaus Amsdorfius, 3 December 1483 – 14 May 1565) was a German Lutheran theologian and an early Protestant reformer. As bishop of Naumburg (1542–1546), he became the first Lutheran bishop in the Holy Roman Em ...

– German theologian and Protestant reformer *

Johann August Apel Johann August Apel (17 September 1771 – 9 August 1816) was a German writer and jurist. Apel was born and died in Leipzig. Influence "" was Apel's version of the Freischütz folktale, and it was published as the first story of the first vo ...

– German writer and jurist * Armand Léon von Ardenne – German military writer and general, character in ''

Effi Briest ''Effi Briest'' () is a realist novel by Theodor Fontane. Published in book form in 1895, ''Effi Briest'' marks both a watershed and a climax in the poetic realism of literature. It can be thematically compared to other novels on 19th-century m ...

'' *

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 17101 July 1784) was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. Despite his acknowledged genius as an improviser ...

– eldest son and pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach *

– German musician and composer, second son of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (5 September 1735 – 1 January 1782) was a German composer of the Classical era, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He received his early musical training from his father, and later from his half-brother, Carl ...

– composer of the Classical era, tenth son of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (21 June 1732 – 26 January 1795) was a German composer and harpsichordist, the fifth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the "Bückeburg Bach". Born in Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony, he w ...

– ninth son of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (11 May 1715 – 27 May 1739) was a German musician. It is not known whether he composed, and his career as an organist is not in itself notable, but his life throws light on his famous father, Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

– fourth son of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Karl Baedeker Karl Ludwig Johannes Baedeker ( , ; born Bädeker; 3 November 1801 – 4 October 1859) was a German publisher whose company, Baedeker, set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists. Karl Baedeker was descended from a long line ...

– German physicist *

Fritz Beblo Friedrich Karl Ewald Beblo (10 November 1872, in Breslau – 11 April 1947, in Munich) was a German city planner, architect and painter. Early life and education His father, Emil Beblo, was a secondary school teacher. Fritz was a class comrade ...

– German city planner, architect and painter *

Christian Daniel Beck Christian Daniel Beck (22 January 1757 – 13 December 1832) was a German Philology, philologist, historian, theology, theologian and antiquarian, one of the most learned men of his time. Biography Beck was born at Leipzig and studied at Leipzig ...

– German philologist, historian, theologian and antiquarian *

Oskar Becker Oskar Becker (5 September 1889 – 13 November 1964) was a German people, German philosopher, logician, mathematician, and historian of mathematics. Early life Becker was born in Leipzig, where he studied mathematics. His dissertation under Otto ...

– German philosopher, logician and mathematician *

Roderich Benedix Julius Roderich Benedix (21 January 1811 – 26 September 1873) was a German dramatist and librettist, born in Leipzig, where he was educated there at Thomasschule. He joined the stage in 1831, his first engagement being with the travelling compan ...

– German dramatist and librettist *

Theodor Bergk Theodor Bergk (22 May 181220 July 1881) was a German philologist, an authority on classical Greek poetry. Biography He was born in Leipzig as the son of Johann Adam Bergk. After studying at the University of Leipzig, where he profited by the ins ...

– German philologist *

Otto Julius Bierbaum Otto Julius Bierbaum (28 June 1865 – 1 February 1910) was a German writer. Bierbaum was born in Grünberg, Silesia. After studying in Leipzig, he became a journalist and editor for the journals ''Die freie Bühne'', ''Pan'' and '' Die Insel'' ...

– German writer *

Georg Christoph Biller Georg Christoph Biller (20 September 1955 – 27 January 2022) was a German choral conductor. He conducted the Thomanerchor as the sixteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach from 1992 to 2015. He was also a baritone, an academic teacher, ...

– German choral conductor *

Christian Ludwig Boxberg Christian Ludwig Boxberg (Sondershausen 24 April 1670Görlitz 1 December 1729) was a German composer and organist. From 1692 to 1700 Boxberg was active as an opera composer. His operas were performed in Leipzig, Wolfenbüttel, Kassel and Ansbach. ...

– German composer and organist * Albert Brockhaus – German publisher and politician *

Eduard Brücklmeier Eduard Robert Wolfgang Brücklmeier (8 June 1903 – 20 October 1944) was a German diplomat and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime, who was executed as a result of his association with the 20 July Plot. Life Brücklmeier was bor ...

– German diplomat and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime *

Conrad Bursian Conrad Bursian (; 14 November 1830 – 21 September 1883) was a German philologist and archaeologist. Biography He was born at Mutzschen in Saxony. When his parents moved to Leipzig, he received his early education at Thomasschule zu Leipzig. ...

– German philologist and archaeologist *

Johann Benedict Carpzov II Johann Benedict Carpzov II (24 April 1639 – 23 March 1699) was a German Christian theologian and Hebraist. He was a member of the scholarly Carpzov family. He studied Hebrew under Johannes Buxtorf II, in Basel. He was appointed professor of Or ...

– German Christian theologian and Hebraist *

Carl Gustav Carus Carl Gustav Carus (3 January 1789 – 28 July 1869) was a German physiologist and painter, born in Leipzig, who played various roles during the Romanticism, Romantic era. A friend of the writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe, he was a many-sided man: a ...

– German physiologist and painter *

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ...

– German painter * Walter Cramer – German businessman and a member of the failed July 20 Plot *

Karl Wilhelm Dindorf Karl Wilhelm Dindorf (; 2 January 1802 – 1 August 1883) was a German classical scholar. He was born and died at Leipzig. From his earliest years he showed a strong taste for classical studies, and after completing F. Invernizi's edition of Ari ...

– German classical scholar *

Max Dieckmann Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ( ...

– German physicist *

Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi (; born 8 September 1929) is a German conducting, conductor. Biography Youth and World War II Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine von Dohnan ...

– German conductor *

Klaus von Dohnanyi Klaus Karl Anton von Dohnanyi (; born 23 June 1928) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as mayor of Hamburg between 1981 and 1988. As of , he is the oldest living former head of a german state government. Ear ...

– German politician * Georg Dohrn – German conductor * Axel Eggebrecht – German journalist and writer *

Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann (14 November 1843 – 20 May 1909) was a German botanist, physiologist, microbiologist, university professor, and musician whose 1882 experiment measured the effects of different colors of light on photosynthetic activit ...

– German botanist, physiologist and microbiologist *

Georg Fabricius Georg Fabricius (; 23 April 1516– 17 July 1571) was a Protestant German poet, historian and archaeologist who wrote in Latin during the German Renaissance. Life Fabricius was born as Georg Goldschmidt in Chemnitz in Saxony on 23 April 151 ...

– German poet, historian and archaeologist *

Johann Friedrich Fasch Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant. Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north of W ...

– German composer * Paul Fleming – German poet *

Arnold Gehlen Arnold Gehlen (29 January 1904 in Leipzig, German Empire – 30 January 1976 in Hamburg, West Germany) was an influential conservative German philosopher, sociologist, and anthropologist. Biography Gehlen's major influences while studying ...

– an influential conservative German philosopher and sociologist *

Reinhard Goerdeler Reinhard Goerdeler (26 May 1922 – 3 January 1996) was a German accountant who was instrumental in founding KPMG, the leading international firm of accountants. Career Goerdeler was born in Königsberg, East Prussia (today Kaliningrad) as the son ...

– German accountant and founder of

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

Johann Gottlieb Görner Johann Gottlieb Görner (16 April 1697 – 15 February 1778) was a German composer and organist. Biography Görner was born in Penig, Saxony. His brother was the composer Johann Valentin Görner and his son the organist Karl Friedrich Görner. H ...

– German composer and organist, pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Johann Christoph Graupner Christoph Graupner (10 May 1760) was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel. Life Born in Hartmannsdorf near Kirchberg in Sa ...

– German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music *

Andreas Gruentzig Andreas Roland Grüntzig (25 June 1939 – 27 October 1985) was a German radiologist and cardiologist, with foundational interest, training and research in epidemiology and angiology. He is known for being the first to develop successful balloon a ...

– German cardiologist *

Karl Heine Ernst Karl (sometimes also Carl) Erdmann Heine (January 10, 1819 – August 25, 1888) was a lawyer in Leipzig and a major entrepreneur and industrial pioneer who shaped the face of the western suburbs of Leipzig. Life Karl Heine was born in L ...

– lawyer and a major entrepreneur and industrial pioneer *

Thomas Theodor Heine Thomas Theodor Heine (28 February 1867 – 26 January 1948) was a German painter, illustrator and cartoonist. Born in Leipzig, Heine established himself as a gifted caricaturist at an early age, which led to him studying art at the Kunstakademie ...

– German painter and illustrator *

Johann David Heinichen Johann David Heinichen (17 April 1683 – 16 July 1729) was a German Baroque composer and music theorist who brought the musical genius of Venice to the court of Augustus II the Strong in Dresden. After he died, Heinichen's music attracted little ...

– German Baroque composer and music theorist,

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

to the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court in Dresden *

Karl Heinrich Heydenreich Karl Heinrich Heydenreich (19 February 1764 – 26 April 1801) was a German philosopher and poet. Heydenreich was born in Stolpen and was educated at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and the University of Leipzig. In 1787 he became professor of philos ...

– German philosopher and poet * Rudolf Hildebrand – Germanist * Karl von Hochmuth – Russian General *

Otto Hoetzsch Otto Hoetzsch (14 February 1876 – 27 August 1946), was a German academic and politician (German Conservative Party, German National People's Party, DNVP and Conservative People's Party (Germany), KVP). At the beginning of the 20th century, he was ...

– German academic and politician *

Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...

– popular German opera composer, one time Kapellmeister of the

Hamburg Opera The Hamburg State Opera (in German: ) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Generalmusikdirektor'' ...

and successor to

Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson (28 September 1681 – 17 April 1764) was a German composer, critic, lexicographer and music theorist. His writings on the late Baroque and early Classical period were highly influential, specifically, "his biographical and the ...

Cantor (church) In Christianity, the cantor, female chantress, sometimes called the precentor or the protopsaltes (; from ), is the chief singer, and usually instructor, employed at a church, with responsibilities for the choir and the preparation of the Mass or ...

of Hamburg Cathedral *

Johann Friedrich Kind Johann Friedrich Kind (4 March 1768, in Leipzig – 24 June 1843 in Dresden) was a German dramatist, most famous for writing the libretto for Carl Maria von Weber's opera ''Der Freischütz'' (1821). Biography He studied law, and began his law pr ...

– German dramatist *

Johann Ludwig Krebs Johann Ludwig Krebs (baptized 12 October 1713 – 1 January 1780) was a German Baroque musician and composer for the pipe organ, harpsichord, other instruments and orchestras. His output also included chamber music, choral works and concertos. ...

– Rococo and Classical period musician and composer, pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach and son of

Johann Tobias Krebs Johann Tobias Krebs (7 July 1690 – 11 February 1762) was a German organist and composer, today best remembered as the father of Johann Ludwig Krebs, one of Bach's most accomplished pupils. Krebs was born in Heichelheim and went to school ...

, another Bach pupil (during his tenure at

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

) * Sebastian Krumbiegel – German singer and musician * Victor Lange – German-born US-American Germanist at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in ad ...

– German mathematician and philosopher *

Justus Hermann Lipsius Justus Hermann Lipsius (9 May 1834, Leipzig – 5 September 1920, Leipzig) was a German classical philologist. He was the brother of theologian Richard Adelbert Lipsius. He studied theology and philology at the University of Leipzig (1850–1856) ...

– German classical scholar *

Christian Gustav Adolph Mayer Christian Gustav Adolph Mayer (15 February 1839 – 11 April 1908) was a German mathematician. Mayer was born on February 15, 1839, in Leipzig, Germany. His father was a businessman from Leipzig. He studied at the University of Leipzig, Univers ...

– German mathematician *

Erhard Mauersberger Erhard Mauersberger (29 December 1903 in Mauersberg, Saxony – 11 December 1982 in Leipzig) was a German choral conductor who conducted the Thomanerchor as the 14th Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He was also an academic teacher an ...

– German choral conductor, 14th Cantor of the Thomaskirche zu Leipzig after Johann Sebastian Bach, brother of

Rudolf Mauersberger Rudolf Mauersberger (29 January 1889 – 22 February 1971) was a German choral conductor and composer. His younger brother Erhard was also a conductor and composer. Career After positions in Aachen and Eisenach, he became director of the re ...

(the composer, conductor, and Cantor of the

Kreuzkirche The Dresden Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) is a Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany. It is the main church and seat of the ''Landesbischof'' of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony, and the larges ...

Dresden) *

Felix Moscheles Felix Stone Moscheles (8 February 1833 – 22 December 1917) was an English painter, writer, peace activist and advocate of Esperanto. He frequently painted genre scenes and portraits. Biography Born on 8 February 1833 in London to a German Jew ...

– English painter, peace activist and advocate of

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

Paul Julius Möbius Paul Julius Möbius (; 24 January 1853 – 8 January 1907) was a German neurologist born in Leipzig. His grandfather was the German mathematician and theoretical astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868). Prior to entering the medical fi ...

– German neurologist *

Georg Österreich Georg Österreich (baptized on 17 March 1664 – 6 June 1735) was a German baroque, Baroque composer and collector. He is regarded as the founder of the so-called ''Bokemeyer collection'' (German: ''Sammlung Bokemeyer'') which is now housed in th ...

– German Baroque composer *

Carl Adam Petri Carl Adam Petri (12 July 1926 in Leipzig – 2 July 2010 in Siegburg) was a German mathematician and computer scientist. Life and work Petri created his major scientific contribution, the concept of the Petri net, in 1939 at the age of 13, for ...

– German mathematician and computer scientist *

Eduard Friedrich Poeppig Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (16 July 1798 – 4 September 1868) was a German botanist, zoologist and explorer. Biography Poeppig was born in Plauen, Saxony. He studied medicine and natural history at the University of Leipzig, graduating with a med ...

– German botanist, zoologist and explorer *

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

– German-born British scholar of history of art at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Johann Georg Pisendel Johann Georg Pisendel ( – 25 November 1755) was a German Baroque violinist and composer who, for many years, led the Court Orchestra in Dresden as concertmaster, then the finest instrumental ensemble in Europe. He was the leading violinist of ...

– German Baroque musician, violinist and composer *

Die Prinzen Die Prinzen ("The Princes") is a German pop rock band, consisting of former members of the Thomanerchor, and a former member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Overview Early albums consist of a cappella music. The band's first name was ''Die Herz ...

– German music group * Günther Ramin – influential German organist, conductor, composer, pedagogue, and 12th Thomaskantor after Bach *

Carl Gottlieb Reissiger Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (also ''Karl Reissiger'', ''Carl Reissiger'', ''Karl Reißiger'') (31 January 1798 – 7 November 1859) was a German Kapellmeister and composer. Biography Born in Belzig, Reissiger attended the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and ...

– German Kapellmeister and composer *

Martin Rinkart Martin Rinkart, or Rinckart (23 April 1586, Eilenburg – 8 December 1649) was a German Lutheran clergyman and hymnist. He is best known for the text to "Nun danket alle Gott" (" Now thank we all our God") which was written c. 1636. It was set t ...

– German clergyman and hymnist *

Johann Friedrich Rochlitz Johann Friedrich Rochlitz (12 February 1769 – 16 December 1842) was a German playwright, musicologist and art and music critic. His most notable work is his autobiographical account ''Tage der Gefahr'' (''Days of Danger'') about the Battle ...

– German playwright, musicologist, art and music critic *

Johann Theodor Roemhildt Johann Theodor Roemhildt (3 October 1684 – 26 October 1756) was a German Baroque composer born in Salzungen. As a child, he studied in Ruhla with Johann Jacob Bach; and from age thirteen on at St. Thomas' School, Leipzig under Johann Schelle and ...

– German Baroque composer *

Johann Rosenmüller Johann Rosenmüller (1619 – 10 September 1684) was a German Baroque music, Baroque composer, who played a part in transmitting Italian musical styles to the north. Career Rosenmüller was born in Oelsnitz, Vogtland, Oelsnitz, near Plauen in El ...

– German Baroque composer *

Friedrich Ruge Friedrich Oskar Ruge (24 December 1894 – 3 July 1985) was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He served as the first commander (Inspector of the Navy) of the post-war German Navy ...

– Vice Admiral of the German Navy *

Ernest Sauter Ernest Sauter ( – ) was a German composer. Biography After early childhood in Munich, his parents moved to Leipzig in 1935. Due to his very conservative family he only was introduced to music of Wiener Klassik, Classical Period and German Ro ...

– German composer * Daniel Gottlob

Moritz Schreber Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber (15 October 1808 – 10 November 1861) was a German physician and university lecturer at the University of Leipzig. In 1844, he became director of the Leipzig ''Heilanstalt'' (sanatorium). His publications predomina ...

– German physician and university teacher *

Johann Andreas Schubert Johann-Andreas Schubert (19 March 1808 – 6 October 1870) was a German general engineer (''Universalingenieur''), designer and university lecturer. Life Schubert was born on 19 March 1808 in Wernesgrün (Vogtland) in the Kingdom of Saxony i ...

– German general engineer and designer *

Johann Gottfried Stallbaum Johann Gottfried Stallbaum (September 25, 1793 - January 24, 1861), German classical scholar, was born at Zaasch, near Delitzsch in Saxony. From 1820 until his death Stallbaum was connected with Thomasschule zu Leipzig, from 1835 as rector. In ...

– German classical scholar *

David Timm David Timm (born 24 April 1969) is a German pianist, organist, Conducting, choral conductor and jazz musician. Since February 2005 he has been (University Music Director) of the Leipzig University, and thus also director of the Leipziger Univers ...

(born 1969) – German pianist, organist, choral conductor and jazz musician *

Karl Wilhelm Valentiner Karl Wilhelm Valentiner (22 February 1845 in Eckernförde – 1 April 1931) was a German astronomer. Life In 1874, Wilhelm Valentiner led a successful German expedition to Zhifu (China) to observe a solar eclipse. 1875, He took over the director ...

– German astronomer *

Eduard Vogel Eduard Vogel (7 March 1829February 1856) was a German explorer in Central Africa. Early career Vogel was born in Krefeld. He studied mathematics, botany and astronomy at Leipzig and Berlin, studying with Encke at the latter institution. In ...

– German explorer in Central Africa *

– German composer, conductor, music theorist and essayist *

Jörg-Peter Weigle Jörg-Peter Weigle (born 1953, in Greifswald), is a German conductor and music professor. He is the uncle of the conductor Sebastian Weigle and the violist Friedemann Weigle. Weigle received his first musical training from 1963 to 1971 as a memb ...

– German professor of choir direction *

Friedrich Wieck Johann Gottlob Friedrich Wieck (18 August 1785 – 6 October 1873) was a noted German piano teacher, voice teacher, owner of a piano store, and author of essays and music reviews. He is remembered as the teacher of his daughter, Clara, a chil ...

– German piano and voice teacher, teacher of

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

, and father of

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow or Zachau (14 November 1663 – 7 August 1712) was a German musician and composer of vocal and keyboard music. Life Zachow was born in Leipzig. He probably received his training from his father, the piper Heinrich Za ...

– German Baroque musician and composer, teacher of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Carl Friedrich Zöllner Carl Friedrich Zöllner (17 May 1800 – 25 September 1860) was a German composer and choir director. After studying at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig under Johann Gottfried Schicht, he started teaching voice. He wrote organ variations on ''Go ...

– German composer and choir director

Notable former teachers

– monumental German Baroque composer and organist *

Karl Ferdinand Braun Karl Ferdinand Braun (; ; 6 June 1850 – 20 April 1918) was a German physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. Braun contributed significantly to the development of radio with his 2 circuit system, which made long range radio transmiss ...

– German inventor, physicist and Nobel Prize laureate *

Sethus Calvisius Sethus Calvisius or Setho Calvisio, originally Seth Kalwitz (21 February 1556 – 24 November 1615), was a German music theorist, composer, chronologer, astronomer, and teacher of the late Renaissance. Biography He was born into a peasant family ...

– German music theorist, composer, chronologer, astronomer and teacher of the late Renaissance * Otto Crusius – German classical scholar *

Johann August Ernesti Johann August Ernesti (; ; 4 August 1707 – 11 September 1781) was a German Rationalist Lutheran theologian and philology, philologist. Ernesti was the first who formally separated the hermeneutics of the Old Testament from those of the New Test ...

– German theologian and philologist *

– German poet, historian and archaeologist *

Johann Matthias Gesner Johann Matthias Gesner (9 April 1691 – 3 August 1761) was a German classical scholar and schoolmaster. Life He was born at Roth an der Rednitz near Ansbach. His father, Johann Samuel Gesner, a pastor in Auhausen, died in 1704, leaving the fam ...

– German classical scholar and schoolmaster, an ardent enthusiast of Johann Sebastian Bach *

Moritz Hauptmann Moritz Hauptmann (13 October 1792, Dresden – 3 January 1868, Leipzig), was a German music theorist, teacher and composer. His principal theoretical work is the 1853 ''Die Natur der Harmonie und der Metrik'' explores numerous topics, particu ...

– German composer and writer, 6th

of the

after Bach *

Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633 – 10 October 1676) was a German composer, conductor and educator. He was the ''Thomaskantor'', cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig and director of the towns's church music, from 1657 to 1676.''Grove Concis ...

– German Baroque composer, 3rd Thomaskantor before Bach *

Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offici ...

– German Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist, immediate predecessor as Thomaskantor before Bach *

August Leskien August Leskien (; 8 July 1840 – 20 September 1916) was a German linguist who studied comparative linguistics, particularly relating to the Baltic and Slavic languages. Biography Leskien was born in Kiel. He studied philology at the universiti ...

– German linguist *

Johann Adam Hiller Johann Adam Hiller (25 December 1728 – 16 June 1804) was a German composer, conducting, conductor and writer on music, regarded as the creator of the Singspiel, an early form of German opera. In many of these operas he collaborated with the poet ...

– German Classical and Romantic composer, conductor and writer on music, 3rd Thomaskantor after Bach, first Kapellmeister of the

Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

Leipzig * Rudolf Hildebrand – Germanist *

– German Baroque composer * Günther Ramin – influential German organist, conductor, composer, pedagogue, and 12th Thomaskantor after Bach *

Georg Rhau Georg Rhau (Rhaw) (1488 – 6 August 1548) was a German publisher and composer. He was one of the most significant music printers in Germany in the first half of the 16th century, during the early period of the Protestant Reformation. He was pri ...

– German publisher and composer, first Thomaskantor after church became Protestant, led the Thomanerchor in the opening Mass of the

Leipzig Debate The Leipzig Debate () was a theological disputation originally between Andreas Karlstadt, Martin Luther and Johann Eck. Karlstadt, the dean of the Wittenberg theological faculty, felt that he had to defend Luther against Eck's critical commentar ...

, published last known

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Hymnbook during

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

's lifetime *

Ernst Richter Ernst Friedrich Eduard Richter (24 October 18089 April 1879), was a German musical theorist and composer, born at Großschönau, Saxony. He first studied music at Zittau, and afterwards at Leipzig, where he attained so high a reputation that in ...

– German musical theorist, 8th Thomaskantor after Bach and the immediate predecessor to the post of

Wilhelm Rust Wilhelm Rust (15 August 1822 – 2 May 1892) was a German musicologist and composer. He is most noted today for his substantial contributions to the Bach Gesellschaft edition of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Dessau, Rust studied pia ...

– German musicologist, conductor, and composer, 9th Thomaskantor after Bach *

Johann Hermann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (20 January 1586 – 19 November 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German ...

– German composer and hymnist of the early Baroque era *

Johann Gottfried Schicht Johann Gottfried Schicht (29 September 1753 – 16 February 1823) was a German composer and conductor. Schicht was born in Reichenau, in the Electorate of Saxony. He studied Law in Leipzig before becoming the conductor of the Leipzig Gewan ...

– German composer and conductor, 5th Thomaskantor after Bach *

Karl Straube Montgomery Rufus Karl Siegfried Straube (6 January 1873 – 27 April 1950) was a German church musician, organist, and choral conductor, famous above all for championing the abundant organ music of Max Reger. Career Born in Berlin, Straube stu ...

– German church musician, organist, choral conductor, and teacher, 11th Thomaskantor after Bach, a friend and champion of

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

, instructor at the

Leipzig Conservatory The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig () is a public university in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of Music), it is the oldest music ...

, and one of the teachers of

Karl Richter (conductor) Karl Richter (15 October 1926 – 15 February 1981) was a German conductor, choirmaster, organist, and harpsichordist. Early life and education Karl Richter was born in Plauen to Christian Johannes Richter, a Protestant pastor, and Clara Hedwig ...

; succeeded to the post of Thomaskantor by Günther Ramin *

Jakob Thomasius Jakob Thomasius (; ; 27 August 1622 – 9 September 1684) was a German academic philosopher and jurist. He is now regarded as an important founding figure in the scholarly study of the history of philosophy. His views were eclectic, and were tak ...

– German academic philosopher and jurist * Christian Theodor Weinlig – German music teacher, composer and choir conductor *

Ernst Windisch Ernst Wilhelm Oskar Windisch (4 September 1844, Dresden30 October 1918, Leipzig) was a German classical philologist and comparative linguist who specialised in Sanskrit, Celtic and Indo-European studies. In his student days at the University o ...

– German scholar and celticist * Gustav Ernst Schreck – German composer, music teacher, choirmaster, 1983 Thomaskantor

References

* *

Bibliography

* Franz Kemmerling: ''Die Thomasschule zu Leipzig. Eine kurze Geschichte von ihrer Gründung 1212 bis zum Jahre 1227.'' Teubner,Leipzig 1927. * Michael Maul: ''„Dero berühmbter Chor“: Die Leipziger Thomasschule und ihre Kantoren 1212–1804.'' Lehmstedt, Leipzig 2012, ISBN 978-3-942473-24-8. * Corinna Wörner: ''Zwischen Anpassung und Resistenz. Der Thomanerchor Leipzig in zwei politischen Systemen.'' Studien und Materialien zur Musikwissenschaft, Bd. 123.

Georg Olms Verlag Georg Olms Verlag is a Hildesheim-based book publisher with publications in the field of ''Geisteswissenschaft'' (i.e. the humanities): first publications, ebooks, reprints and microfiche in the fields of archaeology, Arab studies, history, histo ...

, Hildesheim 2023
(Abstract)
ISBN 978-3-487-16232-4.

External links

Thomasschule zu Leipzig

Thomasschule
{{Authority control 1212 establishments in Europe Boarding schools in Germany Education in Leipzig Educational institutions established in the 13th century Gymnasiums in Germany Music schools in Germany Buildings and structures in Leipzig Schools in Saxony

History

Foreign languages

Notable alumni

Notable former teachers

See also

References

Bibliography

External links